Kaboom! Fireworks to light up the sky over downtown Detroit tonight

Jun. 24, 2013

An employee of Zambelli Fireworks covers the last of the 10,000 fireworks prepared for the Ford Fireworks Presented by Target on the Detroit River, Sunday, June 23, 2013. / Kathleen Galligan/Detroit Free Press

What to know if you’re planning to watch

On TV, radio

■ WDIV-TV (Channel 4) will show the fireworks with a broadcast beginning at 8 p.m. and WJR-AM (760) will do a special simulcast throughout the event. In person

■ Belle Isle and Hart Plaza will be closed to the public until 2 p.m. ■ Hart Plaza will close after it reaches capacity. No tents, cooking, fire, alcohol, pets or weapons are allowed, and there is no re-entry once you leave. All coolers and backpacks will be searched. ■ At Belle Isle, only see-through, mesh tents or canopies will be allowed. Canopies can’t be bigger than 10 feet by 10 feet. Grilling is allowed only in designated areas. ■ Other places recommended to watch include Mt. Elliott Park near East Jefferson and Mt. Elliott Street, Owens Park near East Jefferson and Iroquois Street and Erma Henderson Park near East Jefferson and Burns Drive. ■ The Detroit RiverWalk will be closed to spectators. ■ A curfew is in place for people 17 and younger from 6 p.m. tonight until 6 a.m. Tuesday. Anyone 17 and younger must be accompanied by a parent or guardian with proper identification. Violators will be taken to the Southwestern District police precinct, 4700 Fort St., given a ticket and will be held until picked up by a parent or guardian. Minors will be allowed to travel to and from work and organized sports. Source: City of Detroit

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The hundreds of thousands of people expected to come to downtown Detroit tonight to watch 10,000 fireworks light up the sky can expect the show to open with a little surprise and end with a big surprise.

That’s how Tony Michaels, president and CEO of the Parade Company, which puts on the event, hinted at what is to come during the Ford Fireworks presented by Target.

“The only thing we can really say is at the end ... you’re going to have to make a decision,” he said. “Should you stay or should you go? Was that the end or wasn’t it?”

The 55th annual Detroit fireworks show begins at 10:06 p.m. and will be visible for miles along the Detroit River.

The event’s choreographer, Patrick Brault, does 15-20 shows a year and said Detroit’s is special because of the size and the fact that the fireworks are fired from three barges anchored in the Detroit River.

“It all starts with a soundtrack,” Brault said.

To choreograph the show, Brault listens to the soundtrack provided by Parade Company officials and then envisions seeing the show, writing down what he sees or feels as well as rhythms, colors and shapes.

Brault spends three to four hours designing for each minute of the show. He estimated that this year, he spent 70-80 hours choreographing it.

“The special parts are always the openings and the closings,” said Brault, who is doing the show for the fifth time. He also designed the 2010 Olympic fireworks display in Vancouver, Canada.

There is a 30% to 40% chance of scattered thunderstorms in the area starting in the early afternoon and continuing into the night, said Dave Gurney National Weather Service meteorologist in White Lake Township. Highs are expected to reach 88 degrees and drop to the low 80s around 10 p.m.